Evolution of Kuala Lumpur: 169 Years in 3D | City Timelapse 1857–2026

Watch Kuala Lumpur grow from a tin-mining camp at a muddy river confluence in 1857 to the Petronas Towers and Merdeka 118: 169 years in 8 minutes, rebuilt in 3D from real map data and researched history. Which city should we rebuild next? Please comment under the video - we will build the most requested one. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/citiesthroughtime3d 0:00 From space to 2026, then back to 1857 0:19 The muddy confluence, 1857 0:37 1867 The Klang War 0:53 1874 The Kapitan'S Town 1:05 Fire and flood, 1881 1:44 1896 Capital Of The Federated Malay States 2:19 1911 The Rubber Boom 3:23 Occupation, 1942–1945 3:34 1946 The Road To Merdeka 4:05 Merdeka! 31 August 1957 4:53 1963 Capital Of Malaysia 5:27 1974 The Federal Territory 6:06 1988 Maybank Tower (Menara Maybank, now Tun Perak Tower) 6:34 1999 The Petronas Twin Towers 7:17 2015 The Supertall Skyline 7:27 2019 The Exchange 106 7:41 2023 Merdeka 118 7:54 2026 Merdeka 118 (Menara Merdeka 118 / Merdeka Maybank) HOW THIS WAS MADE Every building footprint comes from OpenStreetMap (44,707 buildings in this area). 32 of them rise in the year official records give for them; the others are estimated from when each neighbourhood was built up. Landmarks, events, eras and population figures are researched; 60 milestones, each with its sources listed below. The 3D city is rendered from map data, not AI-generated footage. CREDITS Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL (openstreetmap.org/copyright) Opening zoom: Google Earth (Google Earth Studio). Music: original score generated with Google Lyria (AI); sound effects generated with ElevenLabs. Photo (Tunku Abdul Rahman proclaims independence at Merdeka Stadium, 31 August 1957): Government of the Federation of Malaya, via Arkib Negara Malaysia · public domain – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pe... Photo ('Merdeka!' – Tunku Abdul Rahman raises his arm, Merdeka Stadium, 31 August 1957): Malaysian and British government, 1957 · public domain – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Me... Photo (Federation of Malaya Independence Day stamp, 31 August 1957): Federation of Malaya postal administration, 1957 · public domain – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Se... SOURCES Kuala Lumpur – Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuala_Lumpur History of Kuala Lumpur – Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_K... Raja Abdullah bin Raja Jaafar – Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raja_Abdulla... Yap Ah Loy – Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yap_Ah_Loy Klang War – Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klang_War Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur – Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brickfields,... Royal Selangor Club – Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Selang... Independence Square (Kuala Lumpur) – Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence...) Wikipedia: Central Market, Kuala Lumpur: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Mark... Perdana Botanical Gardens – Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perdana_Bota... Kuala Lumpur City Hall – Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuala_Lumpur... Wikipedia: Pudu Prison: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pudu_Prison Wikipedia: St. Mary's Cathedral, Kuala Lumpur: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Mary's_C... Wikidata coordinates: St. Mary's Cathedral: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4845058 Federated Malay States – Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federated_Ma... Wikipedia: Sultan Abdul Samad Building: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultan_Abdul... Wikipedia: List of tallest buildings in Kuala Lumpur: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tall... Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur – Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kampung_Baru... Wikipedia: Jamek Mosque: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamek_Mosque Wikipedia: Kuala Lumpur railway station: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuala_Lumpur... Klang River – Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klang_River Wikipedia: Jalan Tun Perak: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jalan_Tun_Perak Wikipedia: Arthur Oakley Coltman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Oakle... OpenStreetMap: Oriental Building: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/481877408 Japanese occupation of Malaya – Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_occ... Malayan Declaration of Independence – Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malayan_Decl... Hari Merdeka – Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hari_Merdeka (more sources in the pinned comment)